UK ahead on cross-compliance
IMPLEMENTATION OF cross-compliance across Europe is, at best, patchy and, at worst, almost non-existent, according to a new study from Birdlife International and the RSPB.
The two lobby groups commissioned the report* to see how well member states were applying the new environmental measures that are now a pre-condition for receiving the single farm payment.
“The protection of the countryside is being treated with contempt by many EU member states,” says Giovanna Pisano, agricultural policy officer at Birdlife International.
“Existing laws are being ignored, yet farmers are still receiving generous subsidies paid for by tax payers.”
The report points to wide variability in standards for keeping farmland in good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC).
“This is not surprising given the flexibility offered (by the legislation),” it says.
In particular, the report points to the failure of many member states to apply the 1979 Birds Directive and the 1992 Habitats Directive, leaving rare species vulnerable to pollution, afforestation and drainage.
“There are no measures that oblige farmers to comply with these Directives in Italy, Finland and Luxembourg, while Portugal, Spain and Austria lag far behind all the actions required.”
But the UK scores particularly well.
“The set of cross-compliance standards is perhaps one of the most detailed and comprehensive of all the member states. The (2m) protective buffer zones provide a range of environmental benefits, decreasing pesticide spray drifting into hedges and protecting hedgerow roots from ploughing.”
France is also complimented for prioritising green cover next to waterways to prevent run-off, as is Ireland for imposing stocking density requirements.
But Birdlife International and the RSPB express concerns about Italy, which has so far failed to draw up verifiable standards for the environmental Directives, and provides several derogations from the GAEC conditions.
“Implemented properly, cross- compliance has the potential to bring about positive changes in the management of agricultural land,” says Ms Pisano.
“But without effective measures, all the time spent at the negotiating tables will have been wasted and the decline in farmland wildlife will continue.”
* The Development and Implementation of Cross-Compliance in the EU-15: An Analysis, was written by the Institute for European Environmental Policy and is available from RSPB on 07711 435791.